


Turning Tide

by crumplelush



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Birthday, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-08-18 20:11:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16523819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crumplelush/pseuds/crumplelush
Summary: Aaron does some thinking, then Andrew does some thinking. Their birthday is a step to them healing their relationship.





	Turning Tide

**Author's Note:**

> Andrew thinks and feels a lot in this, because I think by this point he's been with Neil long enough to know that he's allowed to want things, and that it doesn't make him weak, so he acknowledges that. I couldn't find a way to include that in the text without it being clunky, so I omitted it, so I hope it doesn't come across too OOC.
> 
> This is purely self-indulgent as the twins are so similar in how they love and I wanted them to realise that. And that they're treating each other the same way. I hope I've shown that. Enjoy!

“You really love him don’t you?” Andrew slides his eyes over from where he had been staring at Neil who was across the room arguing with Kevin about the Jackals latest game. He felt the reflexive denial on his tongue, but swallowed it. After all, Aaron rarely acknowledged their relationship so this was brand new. Andrew was intrigued to know where he was going with this.

That didn’t mean he had to give an answer though. He stares at Aaron impassively until he rolls his eyes. “Glad you’re not denying it any longer. I’m not thrilled that out of all the people in the world you had to pick that one, but hearing your denial was getting boring.”

“What do you want Aaron?”

Aaron looks away from him, back towards where Neil and Kevin’s squabble was getting more heated – they looked about two minutes away from coming to blows. Andrew idly mused that someone would probably pay a lot of money to see this on video. He turns back to look at his twin, but Aaron continues looking at the pair in front of them.

“I still don’t like him. I probably never will. But I can tell he’s good for you. He clearly cares about you, and since you’ve been together you’ve been a lot happier. You’re still a miserable bastard, but that’s a personality flaw we all have to deal with. He makes you better.”

“Yeah, he does” Andrew agreed, and they sat in silence watching the bickering duo. Kevin was now wagging a finger in front of Neil’s face. Neil looked like he was about to bite it off.

“And you make him bearable. He’s still a pain in the ass, but he walks and talks like a real live human person now, not the emotionally stunted sarcastic asshole he was when he first arrived. You’re good for him too. You’re good for each other.”

“What’s this about Aaron?” Andrew had never asked for Aaron’s blessing regarding Neil before, and he didn’t need it now. Whatever Aaron wanted it wasn’t for Andrew’s benefit.

Aaron took a breath. “Last night something happened.”

Andrew’s focus switched to his twin immediately, eyes narrowed and mouth opened to demand the details. Aaron had spent the previous eveing at the cheerleaders dorm. If she’d done something to him... But Aaron continued before he had the chance to ask.

“No, nothing like that. Nothing bad. Just a normal evening in with Katelyn. But I realised something. I... When we’re finished here. At college. When we graduate and grow up and move away...” he swallowed and turned back to face his brother.

“I want to marry her Andrew. I want to be with her always. I never want to be apart from her. And it got me thinking. Because I don’t want the rest of my life to be a tightrope. It’s already been so hard and I don’t want it in the future. Maybe that’s selfish, I don’t know. But I don’t want to have to do it anymore. I want you at my wedding. I want my kids to know their uncle. I don’t want you to just be a memory.”

Andrew wasn’t sure how to react to this revelation. But he knew that scoffing would just shut Aaron down, and Andrew didn’t want that. He was intrigued to see how this would play out. So he quashed that impulse and instead focused on something tangible he could grasp.

“So, how does this connect to me and Neil...?”

Aaron doesn’t look surprised at Andrew ignoring his admission. He answers plainly.

I was thinking of how it could ever be possible. Having you in my life with Katelyn. Having you accept her, and understand how important she is to me. And I realised that that’s probably what it’s like for you and Neil too.”

And there it was.

“Oh” Andrew sneered. “So your solution was that if you accept Neil I’ll have to accept the cheerleader, right? Quid pro quo.”

Aaron just rolled his eyes. “Like that would ever work with you. You would never accept something for that reason. I know we didn’t grow up together but I like to think I do know you better than that by now.”

“Then what?” Andrew demanded.

“Then nothing. I was just thinking about how you didn’t want to break our deal, even after you and Neil were together. So clearly you feel something similar to me. You must want me around, without losing him. And it hit me that I’ve been a hurdle for you. And that it can’t feel good. And even with all the shit between us, I don’t want to be a thing that causes you hurt. You’ve had enough of that, god knows. And it doesn’t come with conditions. Regardless of whatever happens between us, and with Katelyn. I don’t want to hurt you anymore.”

Andrew suddenly felt too hot. And like all the air had been sucked out of the room. It was way too hot for a November evening.

“You give yourself way too much credit” he mumbled as he turned away, eyes once again alighting on the bickering duo. Just in time to see Neil launch himself at Kevin.

“For fucks sake” he grumbled as he pushed himself to his feet, ignoring Aaron as he strode across the room and pulled his idiot and Kevin apart, pushing Kevin to the side. “Calm down Scrappy-Doo." 

“He attacked me!” Kevin screeched, Neil still trying to get round Andrew to punch Kevin in the face.

“You deserved it!” he shouted, and all once Andrew had had enough. He picked Neil up and threw him over his shoulder in a fireman’s lift, walking out of the dorm room and up onto the roof. Neil screaming about how Kevin was a little bitch the entire way. He really needed to spend less time with Nicky and Allison.

Andrew unceremoniously dumped Neil onto the roof, whereupon he miraculously shut up and grinned up at Andrew.

“What were you and Aaron talking about? Anything interesting?”

Andrew ignored him and lit a cigarette. Neil picked himself up, clambering to his feet in a rather ungainly fashion considering he was a collegiate athlete. He lent into Andrew’s personal space and hummed, non-verbally asking for a kiss, which Andrew answered by leaning the last few inches and pressing his lips to Neil’s.

The cigarette burnt itself out, going un-smoked as they lazily made out for a while. But soon the cold weather got to Andrew, neither of them being appropriately dressed for the outside 

They drove to the store, Andrew’s mind on Aaron’s words the entire time. Neil content to sit silently while Andrew processed. He wandered off while Neil was picking apples coming to a stop in front of the card stand. It was their birthday today. They hadn’t done anything. Aaron having plans with Katelyn and her friends, and Andrew not being a fan of celebrating it. He hadn’t even wished his twin a happy birthday.

Aaron’s earlier statement echoing in his ears, he grabbed a card at random and stomped off to find Neil before he got into another fight. He threw the card into trolley, turning away from Neil’s knowing look. “Shut up junkie.”

Neil in turn grabbed a chocolate fudge cake off of the shelf on their way to the checkout, mumbling about having a craving. He didn’t even have the good grace to look repentant about the blatant lie.

Getting bad to Fox Tower they went back to their dorm where Aaron was still sat, only now playing PS4 games with Kevin. He threw the card into his brothers face and ignored whatever Kevin was saying about the cake as he went to grab a fork, Neil sitting at the desk to do some homework finally. He return to the living room and sat next to his brother, who looked up from the card. He nodded once at Andrew, then they both turned their attention back to the game.

From out of the corner of his eye Andrew could see the open card resting on the coffee table in front of them.

_Happy Birthday, she’s good for you too._

**Author's Note:**

> I hope this isn't super OOC. I wrote this in a bit of a rush, and had a cat lying on my chest for a lot of it so couldn't see the keyboard, which didn't help. Also I hc that Neil and Kevin have a very antagonistic relationship. But I mainly included that because the idea of Andrew literally carrying Neil out of the room like an unruly toddler while Neil is just yelling makes me laugh.
> 
> I'm crumplelush over on tumblr too if you want to yell at me.


End file.
